FINE ART EXHIBITION WITH SOUTHSEA ARTIST SADIE TIERNEY

Those who regularly pass by Play Dead studio will have noticed the newly painted mural outside by Sadie Tierney. This Saturday she opens her solo exhibition ‘Tide & Time‘ at the studio.

Sadie’s first solo exhibition for a while is packed with brand new work, all in her own playful impressionistic style capturing the sights and sounds of the city she calls home. Although working from life, Sadie is less concerned with accurate depiction of objects, and more interested in describing a visual sensation & experience through celebratory use of colour & line.

We popped down to Play Dead earlier this week to catch up with Sadie and find out more about her work and the exhibition.

…playful impressionistic style capturing the sights and sounds of the city…

…I saw an awesome tattoo of “time and tide wait for no man” on some dude’s arm

Time & Tide is your first solo exhibition for a while, can you tell us what lead up to this show?I went along to Play Dead Gallery’s first opening and was immediately struck by the energy & excitement there– I guess that’s because it’s run by artists, they understand the artistic process from start to finish. There’s also an atmosphere of inclusiveness which I love and is a rare thing to find in a gallery. I was keen to show some new work and after speaking with the gallery directors Dan and Samo I hopped in and filled a cancellation in their schedule.

What inspired the title of the exhibition?I made a film at the Love Southsea Skatepark event; a day of skateboarding/bmx held when the park was in danger of closure and whilst filming I saw an awesome tattoo of “time and tide wait for no man” on some dude’s arm. It’s an old english proverb meaning nobody can stop the passing of time, or the processes of nature.

Can you explain what sort of work will be on show and your creative process(es) in making the work?The exhibition is made up of paintings, drawings, drypoint prints, screen prints and monoprints made as an exploration of where we live. Most of the work was made ‘en plain air’ out on the seafront painting in the elements! For practical reasons the larger pieces had to be made at the studio, and the printmaking was done in my home studio or at Omega Centre print studio, but all the work began life as sketches direct from life.

Your paintings have a somewhat playful, impressionistic feel, what and who were your inspirations and what artists and work catch your eye today?Yes I see myself as coming out of a European modernist tradition especially the way they were interested in Japanese print, Chinese scroll painting and child art. Contemporary artists I like are Caragh Thuring, Rose Wylie and Anselm Keiffer.

Most of the work was made ‘en plain air’ out on the seafront painting in the elements!

I always get excited and find something to draw from the hotwalls & in the Dockyard…

What are some of your favourite places locally to paint and why?Well living in an island city pretty much anywhere along the seafront especially from the Southsea Beach Cafe westwards, where you can see the ships turning into the shipping lane really clearly. I always get excited and find something to draw from the hotwalls & in the Dockyard too. I check Shipfinder and Her Majesty’s shipping movements too (Geek!)

After this exhibition what do you have lined up next?I’ve got drawing trips to France and Poland booked later in the year, and I’ll continue working towards a big solo show in Windsor early next year. The title for that at the moment is ‘Modern Landscapes’.

STRONG ISLAND MESSAGE

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